Only serious illness could explain this statement by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott

The stress of this country’s top political position appears to be seriously affecting Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s health.

An inability to cope under sustained pressure is the only reason I can conceive for this badly-timed and impolitic statement made earlier in the day and quoted in the Brisbane Times on 30 January 2015:

Prime Minister Tony Abbott says he will "absolutely" lead the government to the next election and has described the strong performances of potential leadership rivals Julie Bishop and Malcolm Turnbull as the result of their "good captain".

Visiting Colac in Victoria on Friday, Mr Abbott was peppered with questions about his leadership, the future of his chief of staff Peta Credlin - and whether he would stand aside for Ms Bishop or Mr Turnbull.

Mr Abbott responded by praising his "strong colleagues" and "strong team" but said they benefited from his leadership.

"One of the reasons why so many members of the team are able to perform so well is because they have got a very good captain," he told reporters.

"It takes a good captain to help all the players of a team to excel," he said.

Are we witnessing the beginning of the end for Tony Abbott?

The Australian 29 January 2015:

NORMALLY, opposition parties are forced to cope with life in the wilderness. Not now. Today, and for almost 18 months, we have endured, enjoyed or been bewildered by government in the wilderness.

More disturbingly, the man in charge, so brilliant as opposition leader, so flawed as Prime Minister, shows few signs he is capable of leading his government out of it, and every sign the job is beyond him: that he is not up to it and might never be up to it.

The situation is that dire. Not because of a hostile media, a restless backbench or an effective opposition leader brimming with conviction or ideas, but because of the Prime Minister’s own actions.

Frontbenchers as well as backbenchers are realising it’s time to stop criticising staff and start directing the blame for the government’s predicament where it really belongs. With him. They now accept they have to convince him to change and if they can’t they will be forced to consider changing him. If their survival depends on his elimination, eliminate him they will. Count on it.

That is because ultimately Tony Abbott is responsible for all of it. He decides what is done, as well as who does it, he signs off on it or cedes the authority which ­allows it to happen, or simply turns a blind eye to it.

There is no guarantee the Prime Minister will perform better if he is forced to sack his chief of staff, Peta Credlin. Government insiders fear he has become psychologically dependent on her, a view supported by the private comments of friends who worry he would feel bereft without her.

Publicly his colleagues grappled with formulations to distance themselves from him after his decision to award a knighthood to Prince Philip without stabbing him in the front. Privately there was sorrow, anger, humiliation and as one said “utter utter disbelief” that he could do this to himself and to them. It will never be forgotten nor readily forgiven. Some were already doing ­numbers, apparently intending to impress upon him how much trouble he was in. After Monday, it acquired a deeper, more urgent focus.

According to one Liberal MP, the most obscure backbencher game enough or riled enough to put their hand up today would get 15 to 20 votes. Imagine what Julie Bishop could do if she wanted to…..

Excerpts from letters to the editor and published comments

The Australian (National Edition), 29 January 2015, page 11:

# I AM a long-time Liberal supporter and monarchist, and one of the barnacles you've just removed, Mr Abbott -- along with a million or more others. You don't seem to realise that where a lot of people will be prepared to go ahead with you, they won't be prepared to be dragged back into the past. Maybe you should have taken more notice of the reaction to your foray into the knights and dames debacle, among other things…..

# I PREDICT Tony Abbott will be rolled as PM by the end of this year. Due to his plummeting personal popularity, Liberal powerbrokers, with the exception of Peta Credlin, know it is highly unlikely the conservatives will retain government at the next election with Abbott as PM. He is seen as a private-school, university, Oxford-educated elitist more at home in the 1950s than today.

# the current PM is not suited to the job and the Liberal Party needs to replace him. The more successful PMs such as Bob Hawke and John Howard prided themselves on running inclusive governments where decisions were made by cabinet and then endorsed by the partyroom, not by the PM's office. How the cabinet allows his chief of staff to attend meetings shows a lack of collective spine. The PM is supposed to be "the first among equals", not an elected dictator.

# After what benighted Tony Abbott has done to her husband, one can only say "God save the Queen", because nothing can save the PM.

# Now that Tony Abbott has worked out the democratic principle of consulting before the event, perhaps we could have Australia Day over again? It rained, and I was laughing so much that I never got really patriotic, and what with the shark scare in Newcastle, things were dull in the harbour. Let's just call last Monday a trial run, a kind of rehearsal for the real thing?

The Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Queensland), 29 January 2015, page 19:

# Tony Abbot's autocratic bestowal of a knighthood of the Order of Australia on Prince Phillip turns the clock back to colonial times ("I say, old chap, how about three cheers for the Empire?"). Tony needs to realise that most of us have moved on from those Empirical times. The awards given out on Australia Day are for "ridgy-didge" Aussies who have contributed to our country in some way (often by sacrificing much of their own time to assist their fellow countrymen (women) in some beneficial way). Even the lowliest recipient of an award on Oz Day would have contributed more to Australia than Prince Phillip (God bless him). What Tony has done in this instance is to totally devalue the worth and the significance of these awards both past & present. Let's hope Phil declines the award!

Herald Sun (Melbourne, Victoria), 29 January 2015, page 25:

# AS if it's not astonishingly dumb of Tony Abbott to confer knighthood on the Duke of Edinburgh, he then dismisses negative comments on social media as "electronic graffiti" and says the regular media are silly to devote any attention.

Wrong again, Prime Minister, social media are the voices of the people you were elected to serve but you seem to have trouble grasping that simple fact.

Please, Governor-General, do your job and dismiss him before he does any more damage.

# I VOTED for the "mad monk" thinking economic sense and good governance would prevail. Giving "Phil the Greek" a gong has shown he is out of touch with the populace of Australia.

The Advertiser (Adelaide, South Australia), 28 January 2015, pages 18 & 20:

# TONY Abbott was born in England and obviously that's still where his true heart lies, again illustrated by the ridiculous knighthood awarded to a member of British royalty on Australia Day.

As with some (not all) other English migrants living in Australia who love to think of our country as still a colony of the British and can find little in comparison that brings Australia out on top, perhaps he should pick up his photos of the Queen and take his love for snobby titles back to the "green and pleasant land" of his birth where the class system is still appreciated and in force.

The best we can hope for after this Abbott gaffe extraordinaire is that the move towards an Australian republic is reignited and our country adopts the courage of the Canadians who rooted out the Poms and now proudly fly their own national flag without a hint of the anachronistic Union Jack symbol of outdated British dominance.

# WILL the next two Abbott knights be The Pope and Alan Jones? 

# WHAT has the mad monk done now? Making Prince Philip a knight is like sending shoes to Imelda Marcos. By creating this knight, Tony has sped up his good night to the prime ministership.

# AS if it's not astonishingly dumb of Tony Abbott to confer knighthood on the Duke of Edinburgh, he then dismisses negative comments on social media as "electronic graffiti" and says the regular media are silly to devote any attention.

Wrong again, Prime Minister, social media are the voices of the people you were elected to serve but you seem to have trouble grasping that simple fact.

Please, Governor-General, do your job and dismiss him before he does any more damage.

The Canberra Times (Australian Capital Territory), 28 January 2015, page 2:

# I'd always thought that the republic issue was an insignificant one, an unnecessary change to our constitutional framework in the hope of some marginal symbolic benefit.

Then I saw the Prime Minister's announcement that an Australian knighthood was to be granted to Prince Phillip, and I reconsidered.

Isn't it ludicrous that Prince Phillip is deemed more worthy of an honour than any of the 22 million Australians who the Order of Australia knighthoods were (apparently) meant to have been reserved for?

What does it say about the Prime Minister's opinion of Australians as a people, and our nation's image of ourselves, if he could not find a single worthy recipient in this entire country, besides Angus Houston, to give this honour to?

And don't these questions only arise more forcefully when considering who should be Australia's head of state, which is surely the greatest honour this country can grant to anyone? What does it say of Australia that such a position is inherited by foreigners, with no input from the Australian people?

I am therefore proud to say that, as of Australia Day 2015, I am a republican. My thanks to Tony Abbott for coming up with such a persuasive example to show me how wrong I have been for so many years.

The Advertiser (Adelaide, South Australia), 27 January 2015, page 17:

# MANY Australians will see the award of the KOA to Prince Phillip (The Advertiser, yesterday) as an act of supreme toadyism by the PM. What a sublime own goal in favour of the Republicans!

The Daily Telegraph (Sydney New South Wales), 27 January 2015, page 23:

# Woke up on Monday thinking it was January 26. Then I heard Prince Phillip has been made an Australian knight and felt it must be April 1.

The Mercury (Hobart, Tasmania), 27 January 2015, page 15:

# I HAVE just heard that Prime Minister Tony Abbott has recommended to HRH, Queen Elizabeth II, that the Duke of Edinburgh be made a Knight of Australia. HRH is reported to have accepted.

As my wife exclaimed: "Tell me this is the First of April." My immediate thought was: "Is this bloke (Abbott) in touch with real Aussies?" My next thought was to go outside, find a rather large rock and hide underneath it for some time. Our Prime Minister, in my humble opinion, is a national embarrassment.

# Hilarious TONY Abbott has gone barking mad. So now we have His Royal Highness, Sir, Duke, Prince, Phil the Greek. What a hoot!

# WITH Tony's Abbott's selection of Prince Philip for a knighthood, are we expected to take the Prime Minister seriously any more?

The Guardian, First Dog on the Moon, 27 January 2015:

Just the sort of prime ministerial car required for driving among Australian crowds in 2015?

Is Prime Minister Tony Abbott harbouring a fear of the Australian populace so deep that he now needs an armoured car in each state and territory, plus a spare, in order to feel safe? Or does he just enjoy spending millions to bolster his perception of his own self-importance?

BMW 7 Series High Security: This is the world’s first armoured saloon to be fully compliant with the requirements for class VR7 ballistic protection (tested as per BRV 2009 guidelines)…..The optional Professional rear-seat entertainment system provides first-rate entertainment, with two 9.2-inch colour screens allowing the passengers to watch DVDs, follow the car’s progress via the navigation system or go on the Internet. The system is controlled via its own iDrive controller in the centre console. A special rear air conditioning system is also available, and the seat temperature too can be adjusted, with cool air being blown at the body through perforations in the leather. And to complete the relaxing effect, there is the optional new massage function in the rear-seat backrests. If space is the measure of all things, the long version continues to provide the ultimate comfort in terms of legroom.

The Sydney Morning Herald 14 January 2015:

Mr Abbott's new ride is one of nine BMW armoured cars the government has bought under a $6.3 million contract, replacing the 12-year-old prime ministerial limo fleet of customised Holden Caprices.

The BMW 7 Series High Security cars were first used at the G20, ferrying world leaders around Brisbane, but have been phased into regular use over the holiday period.

The new V-12 prime ministerial fleet will be spread across the country and, when not needed by Mr Abbott, will be available for visiting VIPs such as foreign leaders and dignitaries.

International Business Times Australia 15 January 2015:

The prime minister will now be taken to his itineraries inside the fifth generation BMW 7 Series High Security car, equipped with VR7 ballistic protection standard that was tested under the BRV 2009 guidelines. The car can protect Prime Minister Tony Abbott from three highest risk factors - attacks using strong rounded objects and handguns of up to a calibre of .44 Magnum, attacks using the automatic AK-47 and attacks using explosive devices and armour-piercing weapons….

it can shelter the prime minister from three possible risky situations - street crime, organised crime and explosions….

The contract with BMW involving the current fleet was the subject of an argument between Labor and the current regime. Apparently, Holden was not considered to be awarded the contract, while it was found that BMW did not even enter a bid in the original tender. 

Cartrade.com 16 January 2015:

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott gets a fifth generation BMW 7 Series High Security car .…..

The vehicle has been built using strengthened steel that has also been backed up by an interior that is made from sculpted synthetic fibers that are hard and stated to be heat resistant. The new vehicle gets additional safety features like inclusion of tyres that remain inflated even when punctured, a self-sealing petrol tank, an attack alarm along with an intercom system that allows the occupants to communicate with people outside without having to open the doors.

Business Insider 16 January 2014:

Abbott pulled up in his new ride at the Prime Minister’s XI cricket match in Canberra on Wednesday. 

Pure gold from a long suffering Liberal Party member

Victorian radio station 3AW released this video of Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott taking a call from Liberal Party member Andrew McNabb during its Mornings program of 21 January 2015:

http://youtu.be/Bf8mYWOh9Vg

An open letter to Prime Minister Abbott and his coterie of knuckle-dragging fascists

This letter was reportedly sent to The Australian which appears to have declined to publish.

The Conversation January 2015:

We, the undersigned, are concerned about recent public criticism of one of Australia’s most respected independent public office-holders, Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) President Gillian Triggs. Below we comment on the relentless attacks, including from Prime Minister Tony Abbott, of her recommendation in the Basikbasik matter. In our view, they are based on a misunderstanding of the role of the commission.

Independent public office-holders are an important part of modern democratic societies. Their task is to ensure accountability for abuses of power by government. Their capacity to perform this role depends on their independence and ability to act impartially.

Independence and impartiality are undermined when a political leader publicly attacks holders of public office and when the media presents inaccurate accounts of the work of public institutions.

The Australian Human Rights Commission Act provides in Section 11(1)(f) that the commission has a function to:

… inquire into any act or practice that may be inconsistent with or contrary to any human right.

In the Basikbasik case, which has been at the heart of the recent criticism, the AHRC did not recommend that Mr Basikbasik be released into the community forthwith. Rather, the commission found that Mr Basikbasik had been held in detention for a total of 13 years – a six-year period of imprisonment following a criminal conviction, then a further seven years in immigration detention.

The commission found that the government had not established that continued detention after completion of sentence was necessary. It was therefore arbitrary and in breach of the human rights standards Australia has voluntarily accepted. The commission recommended that a less punitive form of community detention be found for Mr Basikbasik and that he be compensated for his lengthy arbitrary detention, in line with widely accepted national and international standards and precedents.

President Triggs has made clear that she respects the government’s right to reject her findings, including her recommendations. The government should likewise respect the commission’s role in investigating complaints and reporting its findings to the minister according to law.

If the government disagrees with the commission, providing a reasoned explanation of why it considers the commission’s reasoning or conclusions to be wrong as a matter of law would be the most constructive way of contributing to the discussion of the important and sensitive issues involved in this case.

In our view, the President of the Australian Human Rights Commission has carried out her duties under the Act with independence, impartiality and professionalism.

Signed by:

Professor Don Anton, Professor of International Law, Griffith Law School, Griffith University

Associate Professor Afshin Akhtarkhavari, Griffith Law School, Griffith University

Kevin Boreham, Lecturer, ANU College of Law, Australian National University

Professor Andrew Byrnes, Australian Human Rights Centre, Faculty of Law, UNSW

Professor Hilary Charlesworth, Centre for International Governance and Justice, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University

Professor Holly Cullen, Faculty of Law, the University of Western Australia

Dr Alice de Jonge, Senior Lecturer, Department of Business Law & Taxation, Monash University

Professor Andrea Durbach, Director, Australian Human Rights Centre, Faculty of Law, UNSW

Emeritus Professor Judith Gardam, Law School, University of Adelaide

Professor Fleur Johns, Faculty of Law, UNSW

Professor Sarah Joseph, Castan Centre for Human Rights Law, Monash University

Professor David Kinley, Chair in Human Rights Law, Sydney Law School, University of Sydney

Professor Penelope Mathew, Griffith Law School, Griffith University

Professor Jane McAdam, Scientia Professor and Director, Andrew and Renata Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Law

Associate Professor Adam McBeth, Faculty of Law, Monash University

Associate Professor Justine Nolan, Australian Human Rights Centre, UNSW Law

Professor Anne Orford, Michael D Kirby Professor of International Law, Law School, University of Melbourne

Professor Dianne Otto, Francince V. McNiff Chair in Human Rights Law, Director, Institute for International Law and the Humanities, Melbourne Law School

Professor Joellen Riley, Faculty of Law, University of Sydney

Professor Ben Saul, Professor of International Law, Faculty of Law, University of Sydney

Professor Tim Stephens, Professor of International Law, Faculty of Law, University of Sydney

Professor John Tobin, Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne

Associate Professor Margaret Young, Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne

Associate Professor Matthew Zagor, ANU College of Law, Australian National University

Cecil drank the Kool-Aid while John held his nose

In what may be his one and only letter in recent years, retired local businessman Cecil Denis White regurgitates the Liberal-Nationals party line with gusto in The Daily Examiner on 16 January 2014.

The other side of the political coin was represented by another Northern Rivers resident, history buff John Drydale, who registered his disgust in the same newspaper five days later on 21 January.

Abbott on the nose

OVER the past several months I have sat down to write letters about the current Federal Government's latest atrocity: on refugees, the unemployed, the ADF, Medicare, the universities, education.

Each time my concerns have been overtaken by yet another Federal Government stuff-up.

In the cabinet reshuffle at Christmas, Tony Abbott, the country's worst prime minister since Billy McMahon, could have done the right thing and fallen on his sword. Alas, for the LNP and the nation he did not.

He continues to blunder along, promising more money for the unwinnable war in Iraq while denying the ADF a sensible pay rise; supporting the "latest" changes to Medicare the day before his recently promoted minister scraps them while local National Party members, who obviously have not been told anything, try to defend the indefensible.

They just do not understand the people they claim to represent.

The Gillard Government was a model of order and purpose compared with this rabble.

John Drysdale

Clunes

Laffin' at Tony Abbott

SBS The Backburner 19 January 2015:

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has been left red-faced after being unable to stop an unexpected leak pouring out of his cabinet this weekend.

The leak, which is causing major structural damage, first became an issue following the repeal of changes to medicare. As of the time of publishing it is unclear what is causing the leak or exactly where it is coming from.

“I just got this cabinet,” said a distraught Abbott. “I don’t understand what’s happening. They just don’t make things like they used to. What happened to infrastructure in this country? Was it me? Did I happen?”

“It’s not stopping either. I thought for a moment some plumber had stuck a pipe straight into it or something. It’s ruining the carpet.”…….

Facebook Tony Abbott’s comb over:

By day it sits on Tony's head. By night, it's a crime fighting patriot who protects our streets from terrorists and dole bludgers.

Tony Abbott’s comb over discussed on Twitter:

Australian Morning Mail 27 May 2014:

Tony Abbott asks the Queen, “Your Majesty, you run such an efficient government.
Are there any tips you can give me?”

“Well,” said the Queen,

“The most important thing is to surround yourself with intelligent people.”

Abbott then asked,

“But how do I know if the people around me are really intelligent?”

The Queen took a sip of champagne.

“Oh, that’s easy; you just ask them to answer an intelligent riddle, watch”
The Queen pushed a button on her intercom.
“Please send Prince Charles in here, would you?”

Prince Charles walked into the room and said,
“Yes, Mummy?”

The Queen smiled and said,

“Answer me this please Charlie.
Your mother and father have a child.
It is not your brother and it is not your sister.
Who is it?”

Without pausing for a moment, Prince Charles answered

“That would be me.”

“Yes! Very good.” said the Queen.

Tony Abbott went back home to Australia by Qantas

He decided to ask Joe Hockey the same question.
“Joe, answer this for me.”

“Your mother and your father have a child.
It’s not your brother and it’s not your sister.
Who is it?”

“I’m not sure,” said Hockey.

“Let me get back to you on that one.”
He went to his advisors and asked everyone, but none could give him an answer.

Frustrated, Hockey went to the toilet, and found Clive Palmer there.

Joe Hockey went up to him and asked,

“Hey Clive, see if you can answer this question.”
“Shoot Joe.”
Your mother and father have a child and it’s not your brother or your sister.
Who is it?”

Clive Palmer answered,

“That’s easy, it’s me!”

Joe Hockey grinned, and said,

“Good answer Clive, I see it all now!”

Joe Hockey then went back to find Tony Abbott.
“Tony, I thought about it, and I have the answer to that riddle.”

“It’s Clive Palmer”

Tony Abbott got up, stomped over to Joe Hockey, and angrily yelled into his face,

“No! You idiot! It’s Prince Charles!”

Tony Abbott's "trouble with the truth" started long ago

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott is well-known for admitting to a very flexible relationship with the truth.

Looking back, it is also possible he even displays a unhealthy capacity for self-delusion.

Here is one political commentator ruminating over aspects of Abbott’s character.

Writing in The Monthly on 16 December 2014 Russell Marks observed:

In The Monthly on 27 May 2014 Marks looked at what Abbott had said and when (about himself, his party and the government he expected to lead) and, here are some of those quotes:

“We are the party of political honesty.”

-ABC TV’s Q&A, 19 March 2009

“The Coalition is against new taxes.”

-Interviewed by Madonna King, 612 ABC Radio, Brisbane, 25 January 2010

REPORTER: “Mr Abbott, how can you be taken seriously when you’re talking about lower taxes but one of your first major policies was paid parental leave to be funded by tax on business?”

TONY ABBOTT: “Well, it’s a temporary – what I hope will be a temporary levy on a very small number of businesses. It’s very important, as the Howard government acknowledged, sometimes when your fiscal circumstances are tight, to do what is absolutely necessary there may have to be levies or charges. This is not something that I take any pleasure in.”

-Doorstop interview, Sydney, 30 March 2010

“The Coalition is allergic to new taxes.”

-Interviewed by Michael Bailey, Radio 4RO, Rockhampton, 18 May 2010  

“We have well and truly learnt our lesson. The last thing we want to do is expose ourselves to the wrath of the Howard battlers.”

-ABC TV’s Q&A, 5 April 2010

“What you'll get under us are tax cuts without new taxes.”

-Doorstop interview with Greg Hunt, Pure Solar, 14 March 2012

“All of the commitments that we make will be designed to promote the national interest, not to try to curry favours with any particular group.”

–Joint doorstop interview with Nigel McKenna, Adelaide Ice, Regency Park, Adelaide, 26 April 2013

“The carbon tax will go, but no-one personal tax will go up and no-one's fortnightly pension or benefit will go down.”

-Budget reply speech, House of Representatives, Parliament House, 16 May 2013

“The great thing about the Coalition is you know exactly what you will get from the Coalition.”

-Interviewed by Chris Uhlmann, ABC TV’s 7.30, 8 July 2013

“We will be a consultative, collegial government. No surprises. No excuses.”

-Interviewed by Chris Uhlmann, ABC TV’s 7.30, 8 July 2013

“I can promise that no school would be worse off under the Coalition.”

–Joint doorstop interview with Russell Matheson, Camden, NSW, 15 July 2013

“I won’t be doing deals with independents and minor parties.”

-Press conference, Parliament House, Canberra, 4 August 2013   

“In order to ensure [education] funding certainty, we will honour the deals that the government has so far made and we will match the offers that the government has so far made in terms of funding.”

–Interviewed by Sabra Lane, ABC Radio’s AM, 5 August 2013

REPORTER: “All your promises that you're announcing during this election campaign, they will be implemented in full. That is a rock solid commitment?”

TONY ABBOTT: “I will do what I say we will do. I want to be known as someone who under-promises and over-delivers.”

–Joint press conference, Colo Heights, NSW, 13 August 2013

REPORTER: “The condition of the budget will not be an excuse for breaking promises?”

TONY ABBOTT: “Exactly right. We will keep the commitments that we make. All of the commitments that we make will be commitments that are carefully costed.”

–Joint press conference, Colo Heights, NSW, 13 August 2013

“I want to be known as a prime minister who keeps commitments.”

-Joint press conference, Colo Heights, NSW, 13 August 2013

“I’ve seen the disaster that this government has done for itself by saying one thing and doing another, Jon. I don’t want to be like that. I really don’t. If we do win the election and we immediately say, oh, we got it all wrong, we've now got to do all these different things, we will instantly be just as bad as the current government has been and I just refuse to be like that… Before polling day you’ll know exactly what we’re going to spend, exactly what we’re going to save, and exactly how much better the budget bottom line will be under the Coalition.”

-Interviewed by Jon Faine, ABC Radio 774, Melbourne, 30 August 2013

“No cuts to education, no cuts to health, no change to pensions, no change to the GST and no cuts to the ABC or SBS.”

-on SBS TV on election eve, 6 September 2013

“In a week or so the governor-general will swear in a new government. A government that says what it means, and means what it says. A government of no surprises and no excuses.”

-Election night victory speech, 7 September 2013

 During his election night victory speech in September 2013, Tony Abbott made the following commitments:

“I now look forward to forming a government that is competent, that is trustworthy and which purposefully and steadfastly and methodically sets about delivering on our commitments to you, the Australian people.”

“In a week or so the governor-general will swear in a new government. A government that says what it means, and means what it says. A government of no surprises and no excuses. A government that understands the limits of power as well as its potential. And a government that accepts that it will be judged more by its deeds than by its mere words.”

“I give you all this assurance – we will not let you down. A good government is one that governs for all Australians, including those who haven’t voted for it. A good government is one with a duty to help everyone to maximise his or her potential, indigenous people, people with disabilities, and our forgotten families, as well as those who Menzies described as ‘lifters, not leaners’. We will not leave anyone behind.”

–Election night victory speech, Sydney, 7 September 2013

It is hardly surprising that in 2015 Abbott has an entrenched reputation for political dishonesty and failure to keep election promises.

Tony Abbott's waving a daughter in front of voters - have his poll numbers dropped again?

Because no media opportunity generated by or with the co-operation of Tony Abbott's family is spontaneous and unscripted, this snippet below is an obvious attempt to get him in the media without overt mention of politics during the Queensland state election period and perhaps boost his flagging opinion poll numbers.

The Daily Mail 11 January 2015:

She relocated from Sydney to Melbourne a year ago and on Saturday, Frances Abbott got to enjoy a Melbourne rite of passage.

Appearing at the Jeep Portsea Polo at Point Nepean National Park in Victoria, she had her boyfriend of one-year Lindsay Smith in tow at the event.

‘It’s my first time [at the Polo]. It’s very nice to be here and experience such a Melbourne tradition,' Frances told Daily Mail Australia at the event…..

Frances spoke candidly about her relationship with her father, Prime Minister Tony Abbott, admitting that just like any daughter she constantly worries about him, and despite living in another city they are always in touch.

‘My standard text message is: “You’re doing an amazing job.”’ And he’ll reply: “Thanks angel,”’ she explained to Daily Mail Australia. 

Adding: ‘I’m always thinking about him, especially with everything that’s happened recently with terrorism.’

While Tony is based in Canberra and Sydney, in between travelling across the world, he still finds time to visit his daughter in Melbourne. 

‘I don’t see him as often as we would like. We try schedule it so we can all catch up,’ Frances mused.

The Whitehouse Institute Of Design graduate credited her mother Margie Abbott to spearheading the family and bringing them all together.

‘Mum holds it all together, she is the one that keeps the family ship afloat. We’re all apart all the time and she pulls us back together.’ 

So how are the opinion poll numbers playing out for the prime minister? His unpopularity continues.

Essential Report 13 January 2015.

53% of respondents disapprove of the job Tony Abbott is doing as Prime Minister – down 2% since the last time this question was asked in December – and 37% approve of the job Tony Abbott is doing (up 5%). This represents a change in net rating from -23 to -16.

83% (up 8%) of Liberal/National voters approve of Tony Abbott’s performance, with 10% (down 5%) disapproving. 81% of Labor voters and 89% of Greens voters disapprove of Tony Abbott’s performance.

By gender men were 40% approve/51% disapprove and women 34% approve/55% disapprove.

35% (up 4% since December) of respondents think Tony Abbott would make the better Prime Minister and 37% (up 1%) think Bill Shorten would make the better Prime Minister.

37% of men prefer Tony Abbott and 37% prefer Bill Shorten – and women prefer Bill Shorten 38% to 33%.

Morgan Poll 14 January 2015:

Prime Minster Abbott denies South Australian bush fires have anything to do with climate change - Australian firies not amused

 Jim Casey , state secretary of the NSW Fire Brigade Employees’ Union in The Guardian, 7 January 2014

Junkee telling it like it is on 8 January 2015: 

In the past week we’ve seen bushfires consume huge stretches of land in South Australia and Victoria. 19 communities totalling thousands of residents were forced to evacuate their homes around Adelaide, more than 2,000 firefighters were called upon to battle the flames, and 32 homes were destroyed. On the other side of the country, Perth faced weather so hot it literally broke the internet and let people fry eggs on the sidewalk. Similarly, Melbourne has seen each day creep closer and closer to 40 degrees while simultaneously bearing the brunt of surprise tropical storms that brought down power lines, severely damaged people’s homes and saw skydivers tossed around the earth like human confetti.

We’ve had better summers.

But this morning, in an effort to respond to the worst of this craziness, Tony Abbott went on a tour of the recently contained bushfire site at Adelaide Hills and acknowledged that climate change is indeed a thing that exists. “Climate change is real [and] humanity does contribute to it,” he said. Seriously. This is a thing that has happened.

Abbott then met with volunteers and members of the affected community and announced his intention to offer disaster recovery payments of up to $1,000 per person and a 13-week Centrelink allowance for those who have been out of work because of the fire. “The worst of nature brings out the best in people,” he said. “You have responded magnificently to all of the challenges you have faced.”

But, never to leave a press conference with an entirely positive reception, he then went on: “Over time climate change could make a difference to these sorts of occurrences [but] I think it is wrong to try to attribute particular natural disasters to climate change.”

“We think that Australia is making a strong and effective contribution to reducing emissions,” he said without a hint of sarcasm.

Despite his words of praise for the firies, a lot of them have a pretty different message for the PM than the one he’d probably like to hear.

Yesterday, State Secretary of the NSW Fire Brigade Employee’s Union Jim Casey penned an op-ed in The Guardian that directly appealed to the Abbott government for stronger action against climate change, following the bushfire in Adelaide Hills.

“Changes in weather behaviour are making bushfires bigger and more dangerous,” he wrote. “We need the federal government to start being a part of the solution to this problem, rather than denying it exists. This is the critical decade for international action on climate. The recent unexpected statements from both China and the US on the question of carbon emissions gives some hope that action may be taken, but if this does occur it will be in spite of our own government’s position.”

Sadly, these pleas aren’t even new. Firefighters have been trying to get the government to take action on this issue for years (look here’s one, and some more; actually, maybe it’s all of them). Now, as their concerns have not been fully dealt with, the Climate Council are saying firefighter numbers will likely have to double to deal with the increasing threat of fires in a hotter and more unpredictable climate. Here’s hoping there are still lots of little kids who really like the idea of fire poles.

After being constantly humiliated on the world stage, having his arse handed to him by the leader of the free world, and clocking in only one step ahead of Saudi Arabia in the latest global Climate Change Rankings, it’s no surprise that the PM would want to speak out about climate change now.

But whether you’re a firefighter or just a person who doesn’t really like the idea of living in a place that might spontaneously combust at any given minute, it’s kind of worrying that the PM thinks this is the best he can do.